There’s lots of fun at the Entertainment Center

About the skate center's expansion into other amusements, co-owner Aaron Rich said, "Other rinks around the country have done it. This is the way it's going. There's only a certain amount of kids that roller skate."

The group of small children raced through the new Entertainment Center at North Canton Skate Center, grinning and laughing as if they'd just been let loose at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

It's not surprising. The 12,000-square-foot arcade, which opened Nov. 1, is full of color and sounds and flashing lights. In addition to a barrage of arcade games, there are bigger attractions such as:

• Spin Zone with eight bumper cars, accompanpied by lights and music.

• Euro Bungy, which combines trampolining with bungee cords.

• Lazer Runner, a laser-tag maze with fluorescent lights and a 23-player capacity.

• A three-sided rock-climbing wall — one side with rock-like formations, one with plastic piping and a third with holes simulating Swiss cheese.

About the skate center's expansion into other amusements, co-owner Aaron Rich said, "Other rinks around the country have done it. This is the way it's going. There's only a certain amount of kids that roller skate."

Rich's wife, April, grew up at the rink, which was built in 1960 by her aunt, Georgette Grabowski.

"I think my aunt would be thrilled with (the Entertainment Center). She liked to change with the times," said April, who inherited the rink in 2001 after Grabowski died.

In planning the new center, the Riches sought the input of their children, ages 9 and 11. "It's what the kids seemed to like," Aaron Rich said. "Their ages make them the perfect test subjects."

The plan is to keep adding attractions.

Birthday parties are a big part of the equation at the rink and entertainment center. "We get kids, colleges, adult parties," Rich said. The $13-per-person party package includes unlimited activities (including skating) plus food, drinks and arcade tokens.